


A New, Brighter Morro

by hella_gent



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Morro gets a good childhood au, i can do what i want
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-05
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:53:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21681760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hella_gent/pseuds/hella_gent
Summary: When the introduction of his nephew becomes an intervention for another...
Relationships: Lord Garmadon/Misako (Ninjago)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 103





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hello yes welcome to my house of little morro not being raised by wu and growing up a good boy !!! this is also a part of my long standing 'garmadon being a good dad' series if you want

The night had passed along with a gentle, autumn storm. It wouldn’t be long before frost began to set in on the tiny open plot of land the couple had settled in so long ago. Wife conducted research while husband honed his skills.

This was where they began their life together. This was where their son had taken his first breath.

He still couldn’t take his eyes off the little one. His soft, round cheeks, his thin blonde hair, the way he gripped his mother’s shirt while he stared up at his father with those big emerald eyes; it was almost enough to bring him to tears. Again.

Everything had gone perfectly, as far as the first time parents knew. The little one’s mother was recovering comfortably, dozing in bed while her husband doted on her and snuck away with their son. She didn’t mind, save the times he would show no signs of returning him.

Father had sent a messenger with the great news as soon as his wife and son had fallen asleep together that night. As morning shifted to noon, a knock came to the door.

Garmadon shot up for the door like a bullet, practically throwing it open to reveal his brother on the other side. The man flinched, surprised, only to be swept up in a crushing hug. Soon he was smiling just as widely as his brother behind his growing mustache and beard.

Finally Garmadon drew back, holding him by the shoulders and beaming with delight.

“Oh brother, it is so wonderful to see you! A pleasure, really. He’s perfect, beautiful, an angel-!”

Wu gasped, awestruck.

“It’s a boy?”

Garmadon laughed, pulling his brother in for another hug, giddy beyond belief.

“It’s a boy! You must come see him, brother!”

Head resting on his younger brother’s shoulder, he could now see that Wu didn’t come alone. A young child stood a few paces back, meeting Garmadon’s gaze head on. He looked to be not much older than six, if he were to guess; though with how thin he was it was difficult to tell. His hair was a snarled mess covering most of his face, which was littered with splotches of dirt. Despite his first thought, his gi was much too nice to be on his own. In fact, examining it longer, his brother’s crest adorned it.

Garmadon shifted his hold, wrapping an arm around his brother’s shoulder as he gestured to the boy.

“Oh! And who is this?”

Wu smiled and waved him inside, prompting the boy to stand somewhat stiffly at his side. He turned his gaze up to Wu before looking back to Garmadon again. He had yet to smile.

“This is Morro; he was alone and living out in the streets before I took him in. He has wonderful potential, brother. I hope it’s okay that I brought him?” Wu mimicked his brother and wrapped an arm around Morro’s shoulder, pulling him against his side. The boy’s eyes widened at the gesture before Wu licked his thumb and tried to scrub at the dirt on his cheek. The boy’s face screwed into a scowl, but he remained silent.

Garmadon only laughed at the gesture.

“Of course! The more the merrier!” He lead them back to the bedroom as he spoke, grinning the closer they came. “This is wonderful, Misako will be so pleased! In only a few hours we’ve gained a son and a nephew!”

Morro followed Wu, staring up at him as they went, but the man kept his eyes forward. He swallowed the question that had risen to the tip of his tongue.

Misako had already drifted off in the few short minutes it had taken her husband to answer the door. Coupled with a sleeping newborn, the sight made Garmadon swoon and sigh. He climbed up on the bed and pecked them both on the cheek.

“Wu is here, love,” he whispered, waking her from the last of her sleep, “He’s brought someone with him, too.”

Misako blinked herself awake and her eyes finally landed on her brother-in-law, who had sidled up to the opposite side of the bed with Morro just behind him. Wu seemed the only one able to tear his eyes away from the baby in her arms.

“How are you feeling?”

She smiled, exhaustion still heavy on her features, but to him she practically glowed.

“Tired, but oh, so happy.”

Her tired, glowing eyes moved to the child beside him. “What’s your name, dear?”

It took the boy a moment for the question to register. He looked up to Wu, earning him a smile and a nod. Finally he spoke, the first either parents had heard him speak in his soft, quiet voice.

“I’m Morro.”

Father and mother smiled at each other. Misako leaned her head on his shoulder.

“You’re very sweet to keep your voice low, Morro. The baby needs all the sleep he can get.”

“Not too quiet now,” Garmadon laughed, shaking her off his shoulder, “You might make Misako fall asleep too.”

“What name did you decide for him?” Wu prompted.

If the pair had been smiling before, there was no word for what overcame them now. Garmadon looked fit to burst. They shared a look and burst out in unison.

“Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon!”

Morro’s mouth seemed to drop to the floor. He leaned over the bed, staring down at the infant in awe as he exclaimed. “Wow! That’s a lot of names!”

Garmadon grinned, swooning dramatically of his wife’s lap.

“Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon is the most perfect baby - any less than three names would be blasphemy!”

Misako laughed, the baby in her arms bouncing along with her shoulders. With every lift the babe’s eyes opened more, until he was blinking blearily around him, making a hush fall over the room. He squirmed and yawned, his parents beaming with pride at the slight movement.

Morro, on the other hand, had furrowed his brow and climbed entirely up onto the bed. He thought hard on the baby in front of him before he sat back and pulled on Wu’s sleeve.

“I can’t train with him, he’s brand new! Master, when will we train? You said we could train.”

Wu brushed his hand away and hushed him with a gesture.

“Not yet, Morro.”

When he turned back to his family, both Misako and Garmadon were looking at him expectantly.

“And?” The father asked.

“And what, brother?”

“Aren’t you going to explain  _ why  _ he can’t train now?” The mother supplied.

“You can’t just leave it at that. Tell him when he can train next, brother.”

Faced with the concerns of two parents who had spent the previous nine months studying up on parenting, Wu turned to the boy who mirrored him. He could see the ghost of a scowl on his face, still upset about the lost training session, but Morro bit his cheek and wore a flat expression. Garmadon could see it from where he sat on the bed, though there was no telling if Wu could pick up on it.

“Morro,” Wu began slowly, picking and fiddling with his hands, “We cannot train now, as we are here to visit my new nephew. We will train when we return to the monastery.”

Morro’s face softened. He responded by way of a sharp nod that made Wu smile. In all this time, Morro himself had yet to smile.

Garmadon excused himself just long enough to bring in some chairs for their visitors as well as a few snacks, but once he sat again it was clear the parents’ attention had shifted.

“How long has Morro been with you, Wu?” Misako asked. Her husband lay across her legs and rested his chin in his hands, smiling at the boy as he addressed his brother.

“Yes, Wu, how long have I had a nephew!”

“Nephew?” Wu had hardly opened his mouth to respond when Misako cut him off. “But then why does he call you master?”

“Ah yes, I noticed that too; why does he, brother?”

Wu snapped his mouth shut again. He glanced down to Morro, who hardly had to ask the questions that were clearly flooding his mind by the confusion plain on his face. Wu turned back to parents with a laugh, sounding somewhat forced, raising his hands.

“No, no, you’ve misunderstood, brother. I just took Morro in, I’m not his father.”

Garmadon laughed without missing a beat. “You could be, if you so wanted! Then we both could have nephews!”

They all smiled and laughed with him. Morro nearly cracked a smile, but it faded quickly. Misako noticed it however and shifted the child in her arms to address him. Lloyd stuck a fist in his mouth and watched the older boy.

“So, Morro; it sounds like you are very eager to learn Spinjitzu! That’s what Wu has been teaching you, right?”

Morro nodded.

“Spinjitzu can be tricky, but I’m sure you’ll get it.”

“Training is really hard, but it’s okay. I want it to be hard.”

Garmadon raised a brow, still smiling, “Hopefully you’ll find a break in your busy training schedule to visit the three of us again sometime! You know what they say about all work and no play-!”

Morro forwned and shook his head. “No, I won’t.”

The parents pinned Wu with an inscrutable look. He hurried to explain, but Morro continued, beating his to it.

“If I don’t train super hard, I won’t ever become the Green Ninja.”

The quiet, comfortable erupted, becoming almost suffocating with the sudden burst of noise.

Misako startled so suddenly the child in her arms was jerked away, immediately crying out. Garmadon had shot upright on the bed, fury blazing in his eyes and a curse on his lips before Lloyd’s sobs softened him again. He reached for the pair, glare making his brother shrink into the floor. 

The mother was white as sheet. If he hadn’t finally turned his gaze to her, he never would have realized she was gripping his arm.

“ _ Garmadon. _ ”

No one knew more about the prophecy than she did.

Garmadon held her hand.

“Brother, a word, please.”

Morro watched as the man climbed off the bed and wrapped an arm around Wu’s shoulder as he did at the door. This time he winced and curled in, as if the motion hurt. It didn’t look any different before but as they passed, the boy could see how Garmadon’s knuckles were white and his fingers dug into the other’s shirt.

He got off his own seat to follow.

“Could you help me, Morro? I think I may have frightened Lloyd.”

He hesitated, but turned back to the bed and the baby. Lloyd was whimpering while Misako rocked him, big fat tears still clinging to his pudgy cheeks.

Morro, not knowing what to do, took up Garmadon’s seat at her side and laid a hand over his thin hair.

“Morro,” Misako began softly, shifting her hold and making Lloyd whine again, “What did you mean when you said ‘Green Ninja’? Did Wu tell you what that is?”

“I  _ mean _ I’m gonna be the best ninja. I’m gonna be the Green Ninja and fight evil and be the greatest.”

Misako frowned, mirroring Morro’s. 

_ Perhaps this wasn’t what they thought it was. Perhaps Wu had only let something about the prophecy slip and Morro had latched onto it. He was only a child. He would not be able to understand anything about this beyond the fact there was going to be a hero of legend. _

“Well…” Morro continued to stare her down, his frown hard and set. “Being the Green Ninja will mean more than power and skills. Don’t spend all your training, Morro. Who knows, maybe you’ll find something else you’ll like just as much-”

The frown that had so far been impassive furrowed and his lip curled into a furious scowl.

“Master Wu said I could be!” The boy snapped, digging a thumb into his chest. “He said I could wear green and I will! I will be the Green Ninja!”

Lloyd started crying again. Misako didn’t move to calm him, once again mirroring Morro’s expression. This time he shrank under her stare.

“That is not your decision to make and neither is it Wu’s. He should have never said anything of the sort.”

Just then the bedroom door swung open and Garmadon entered with a wide smile. His face was red and the smile looked different from before, like it was a little crooked.

“Wonderful news, Morro! Wu has said that  _ I  _ get to train you!”

“ _ Garmadon!” _

He only waved a hand to his wife’s hiss.

“You get to stay with us now! And, trust me when I say, we’ll need all the help we can get with a little one!”

Morro rose to his knees, peering over Garmadon’s shoulder and out the open doorway. Master Wu stood, brow furrowed and eyes cast down at his own feet. He seemed to pick up on the lull in the conversation over the crying infant and looked up. But Morro found his view suddenly blocked when Garmadon settled on the bed in front of him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“What do you say, Morro?”

He tipped to one side and looked to his master. Meeting his student’s gaze, he nodded and looked away again.

Morro turned back to Garmadon.

“I still get to train?”


	2. Chapter 2

The gentle pitter-patter of bare feet on the hardwood stirred the father from his light sleep. Lloyd had been insatiable last night, crying for attention as soon as one of them managed to drift off. It was thanks to Misako, now slumped over in the rocker she’d dragged into their bedroom, that either of them were able to get more than a few hours.

There was no sound from Morro until now.

Garmadon rolled onto his back, watching through the cracked door as the light sound continued to come closer. Morro hesitated by the door, just out of his vision, before suddenly it was eased shut. If he hadn’t been watching, he wouldn’t have even realized.

As he began to walk on, Garmadon sat up in bed. When he could no longer pick up his steps, he moved to the door and pressed his ear against it.

Over and over again he heard the cupboards open and close. There was a brief pause, one long enough for him to nearly step out into, before he heard the hum of the open fridge. Morro must have stood looking through it for some time before he finally closed it again.

He was straining so hard to hear that the sudden clatter of pans made his ears ring.

Garmadon fell back against the door and clutched at his head.

Morro’s footsteps passed the door again, louder and faster than before. He got to his feet and looked out into the hallway just in time to see the boy scurry into the nursery, the front of his shirt bulging out awkwardly.

Just as carefully as Morro had before, Garmadon walked out into the hallway and shut the door without a sound and followed the boy.

Lloyd was too young to sleep in a separate room, but the nursery was well prepared for when he did. There was both a crib and a bed for him when he was ready for it. Morro, for whatever reason, had elected to drag the mattress of the bed onto the floor and across the room. It was made, however, looking just as it had on its frame in its new place underneath the windowsill.

Morro was stood in the middle of the room, peering down the neckhole of his shirt. He could see it better now, stuffed with boxes of snacks and whatever fruits must have been on the counter. He must have swept everything he could reach down into his shirt.

“Morro-?”

The boy jumped, spinning around and sending everything under his shirt flying across the room. His eyes were wider than dinner plates as he stared up at the father and his breathing started to pick up.

Garmadon slid down onto one knee with practiced ease, keeping his expression kind.

“Are you alright?” He asked gently, “If you’re hungry, Morro, I can make you breakfast.”

The boy’s face withered, falling back into its same impassible frown as the day before. He didn’t miss the way his hands curled into tight fists at his sides.

“It was getting late; I didn’t think you were going to show up.”

Garmadon blinked.

“Show up-?”

Morro jabbed his thumb toward the window.

“It’s almost sunrise.”

Ah, that’s right. Wu must have been doing sunrise exercises with Morro. While Garmadon hadn’t intended on doing any training with Morro this morning, sunrise exercises wouldn’t hurt. In fact, they would be a good start to the day after such a sleepless night.

That didn’t explain the food, however.

When Garmadon stated this, the boy’s face lit up bright red. He pressed a hand over his burning cheek and turned away.

“M-Master Wu lets me eat whenever I want in the morning. I just… I just didn’t want to- you were all still sleeping before and I-”

Morro had been in his room earlier that morning and he hadn’t woken any of them. Garmadon prided himself on knowing he could protect his family from intruders thanks to his own training; and yet here was Morro, a six year old with very little time as a ninja already slipping past his defenses.

He must have been walking purposefully this morning, hoping to wake him up in time to start training.

Or perhaps he was reading too far into this…

“You can always wake me up, Morro, whenever you may need me. In time you can wake up Misako too; but she’s still tired, so it’s best to let her rest for now.”

Morro gave a sharp nod. “Yes, Master Garmadon.”

“No, no ‘master’s here; just Garmadon is fine. Or you could call me Uncle, if you’d like.”

Finally he got to see the child’s tiny smile again as he nodded once more.

“Okay, Uncle.”

===

Morro was very good at hiding his true emotions, but if they were strong enough he could catch glimpses of how he felt. 

For example, Morro’s eyebrow twitched when he was impatient. 

All throughout their sunrise exercise Morro was obviously ready to do more, to move faster, to start throwing punches; but Garmadon kept the pace calm and sedate. He had no intention of drilling the boy. Though it spoke volumes as to how his brother had been teaching him.

Now the boy clung close to his heels while he made a proper breakfast, for him and everyone else. Eggs, bacon, toast, hash browns; the works. He fell back into the silence he often kept, but now he wore no frown, only watching the breakfast banquet cook with wide eyes. The bacon had hardly hit the pan when Misako emerged from the bedroom with Lloyd.

Garmadon immediately stepped away from the stove and kissed them both.

“You two are up early.” Misako yawned. 

“We did sunrise exercises.” Morro stated, coming out of the kitchen too.

Misako shot Garmadon a glance, one he shared as he moved back into the kitchen. She settled Lloyd into his swing in the center of the living room, away from the possibly loud pots and pans to sleep. She encouraged Morro to sit with him before heading into the kitchen herself.

“Sunrise exercises, Garmadon?” She hissed under her breath

“He was waiting for me to do them with him this morning.” Her husband whispered back, already sounding sheepish.

“You can’t honestly be thinking of actually training such a small child-!”

“Of course not! But there’s no harm in letting the boy continue to do sunrise exercises in the morning, so long as he gets to bed. Why, it’s just as my father did with me-!”

The kettle, which had gone unnoticed by both, whistled high and clear. Both parents jumped, their attention shooting over to the sleeping newborn. Yet Garmadon didn’t remember putting it there - he didn’t drink tea - while Misako had only just gotten out of bed. He had begun cooking and hadn’t even realized it was filled and bubbling over a high heat this entire time.

Just as suddenly as the kettle had gone off, Morro appeared, squeezing through the two parents to reach over the pans on the stove for it.

“No, no, don’t reach-!”

“The stove is on, you’ll burn yourself!”

“Let me get it for you, Morro-”

But Morro pushed them away and plucked the kettle off the stove himself, narrowly missing the hot grease of the bacon on his little arms by standing on the tips of his toes. The kettle dropped dangerously fast towards the floor before his grip stopped it. The water sloshed over the top, making both parents shout.

Garmadon dropped to his knees and desperately held his hands out for it. “Let me help you with that, dear. It’s very hot, you may hurt yourself.”

Much to both parents dismay Morro yanked it out of the father’s reach, sending the boiling hot liquid across the kitchen tile.

“No I won’t. I make tea every morning for Master Wu.”

Misako quickly stepped behind him and snatched it from his hands.

“Master Wu isn’t here, sweetheart.”

Morro scowled, his tiny hands once again curled into fists. The boy didn’t do anything more, however, before turning on his heel and moving to pout on the couch in front of Lloyd again.

Misako dumped the hot water down the drain. Her glasses fogged over, but Garmadon didn't need to see through them to know she was furious.

"Do not try to do any training with him," she finally hissed under her breath, "I don't care what it is, Garmadon; that boy needs to learn to be a child."

Her husband smiled, his mouth opened to reply, but Misako cut him off.

"And do not try to do things with him and call it training either."

Garmadon deflated.

“You’ve gone and let him get his hopes up to continue his training, Garmadon. Please, just try to encourage him to play or relax without a magical destiny hanging over his-”

Misako fell silent, meeting Morro’s wide eyes from across the room. The boy had moved to kneel in front of the baby swing, where Lloyd had begun to stir. He kept his gaze pinned on her, waiting for her to continue, but her mouth had drawn into a thin line.

The newborn cooed, Morro’s attention snapping back to him. He carefully extended his hand into the basket and the parents watched as his eyes went wide.

“Please, Garmadon; _help him._ ”

**Author's Note:**

> im not sure how often this will update but hey i hope youre having a good time !!! i eat comments they give me power


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